One of the classic images of a sea monster on a map: a giant sea-serpent attacks a ship off the coast of Norway on Olaus Magnus’s Carta marina of 1539, this image from the 1572 edition. WASHINGTON — ...

Medieval Europeans genuinely believed the world beyond their borders was inhabited by monstrous human-like creatures.

(Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Open Access Collection). An artist active in Switzerland fashioned this tapestry fragment, woven between 1420 and 1430. The tapestry features a furry beast ...

While dragons and unicorns have long topped the A-list of mythical animals, medieval bestiaries are filled with an assortment of bizarre creatures that are scarcely remembered today. Ever heard of a ...

Among the most popular books of the time, bestiaries were filled with real and mythical animals and their lore, the protagonists of intriguing stories symbolizing human virtues and faults. SCULPTED IN ...

Unknown artist, "Snail" (c. 1350), The Netherlands, illumination on parchment from Jacob van Maerlant's Der naturen bloeme (image via Wikimedia Commons) "Very often, people think that they're laughing ...

Olivia Swarthout has brought medieval art to the masses (460K Twitter followers and counting) but she’s not formally trained in medieval history or art. A self-described “proprietress of weird ...

There’s no shortage of medieval-ish costumes, like knights, monks, peasants and royalty. But, if you’re a hardcore historian and you want to flaunt your credentials, nothing quite says “medievalist” ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. WASHINGTON — The iconic sea serpents, mermaids and other mythical creatures found on world maps ...